Posted on 10/17/2011 7:00:16 PM PDT by Freemarkets101
According to a new Gallup poll, a record-high 50 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana use, while 46 percent say marijuana use should remain illegal. When Gallup first posed the question, in 1969, a mere 12 percent of Americans favored it, while 84 percent were opposed. For good or for worse, times have definitely changed.
Gallup's "Bottom Line" ponders that if the current trend on marijuana legalization continues, "pressure may build to bring the nation's laws into compliance with the people's wishes."
Not right now it won't. In my opinion, this shift in popular opinion means jack for the political scene - at least for right now - and it surely doesn't strike any urgent chord for the current lineup of GOP presidential contenders (even though Ron Paul may quietly favor the notion).
I'm thinking at this juncture, stimulating job growth in America is the number one priority. Maybe once everyone is gainfuly employed and bathing in economic bliss, that's when we will all dust off the old college paraphernalia.
For now, I think the only people who would prefer a bag of grass over a 40-hour work week are those Marxist marching degenerates who somehow think they are "Occupying" Wall Street.
Shit, it's safer than driving while using other drugs. Yay. It's probably safer than driving blindfolded, too. But, according to NORML, a RESPONSIBLE user shouldn't drive. Huh. What if, like most users, you are doing both?
I hear it's also safer than driving while using your face to manipulate the footpedals.
Who says that? I've never seen that claimed.
We already have a legalized and widely used dangerous drug that is widely used with another. Adding another legal drug to the mix makes no sense to me.
What makes no sense is trying and failing to remove drug use by criminalization while accepting all the ills brought about by criminalization.
15% is not "far less" than 17%.
and heroin.
And alcohol is significantly MORE addictive than marijuana.
Which is pretty much what I said, most people who drink do not become addicts
Most people who use any of the drugs on that chart do not become addicts.
What would we do with the nonaddicted users who get busted?
“What makes no sense is trying and failing to remove drug use by criminalization while accepting all the ills brought about by criminalization.”
Like petty theft and larceny, right? The broken glass theory. Look it up.
Rehab or jail.
It is a serious discussion and I did not use the example of a brain surgeon, you did. You took it out of the realm serious.
I did not say for day to day driving. I said in a race situation, when focus is a singularly intense function. Nobody should be driving in public while on any substance and where others lives are dependent.
I can only go from personal experience. I’ve seen those that prefer alcohol and those that prefer pot and while the two may mix in use it does not change the basic preference.
My point in bringing up alcohol is that it is the substance that should be banned based on the damage it does, if we were to pick only one drug to be legalized.
Yes, I agree that “most” is incorrect (according to this chart, I don’t know who these researchers are or what their bias is).
So not “most,” perhaps, just large percentages.
That is still not ok with me.
Tobbaco: 32%. That is ok with me, assuming that they are adults. I don’t think tobacco ruins your head or makes you crazy. I don’t see people abusing their kids under its influence, robbing houses to buy smokes, unable to work because all they can do is smoke, getting drug-induced schizophrenia from it, hallucinating on it. I don’t see tobacco use as anti-social behavior, addicted or not.
Marijuana: 9%. That is not ok with me. Do you want to know why? Two reasons: it makes you stupid, and it is a gateway drug.
I don’t agree with the premise that we have a right to deliberately make ourselves stupid, crazy or paranoid. And that is why I don’t like legalized pot use.
As for the gateway issue, I’d be interested in a chart about how many marijuana users go on to become addicted to other drugs; as opposed to alcohol or tobacco users. I believe I’d see evidence of the gateway nature of marijuana.
Obviously I’d rather deal with a marijuana addict than a crack addict. There are degrees of crazy. But it’s all still crazy. I find it unacceptable for adult behavior in a civilized society.
“I did not say for day to day driving. I said in a race situation, when focus is a singularly intense function.”
Or, like I said, like Brain Surgery, right? Nothing on that?
Like petty theft and larceny, right?
Yes, petty theft and larceny are among the ills brought about by criminalization through its artificially inflating the cash flow needed to support a habit. Thanks for the pro-relegalization argument!
What would we do with the nonaddicted users who get busted?
Rehab or jail.
You propose we pay to send non-addicts to rehab? Should we also pay to send bald men to barbers?
Hahaha, wow. People still believe in “gateway” drugs. Amazing. It’s like you guys failed math in high school.
“People still believe in “gateway” drugs. Amazing. It’s like you guys failed math in high school.”
Being condescending is not going to win me over to your point of view.
I have lived many years. I have known many who started on pot and went on to other, harder drugs. Some of them ended up dear or basket cases. Many became simply useless. I can not off of the top of my head think of any friend or family member who smoked pot on any type of regular basis who did not begin using other drugs after a while. This has been my observation.
And I teach Algebra 2, so, my math skills are pretty decent.
As stated in the post, the source is J.C. Anthony, L.A. Warner, R.C. Kessler. 1994. Comparative epidemiology of dependence on tobacco, alcohol, controlled substances, and inhalants: Basic findings from the National Comorbidity Survey. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology 2:244-268. If you have any evidence that they are biased, feel free to share.
Marijuana: 9%. That is not ok with me. Do you want to know why? Two reasons: it makes you stupid, and it is a gateway drug.
Both true of alcohol. "Children who drink are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than non-drinkers." - http://www.columbia.edu/cu/record/archives/vol20/vol20_iss10/record2010.24.html
So do you support recriminalizing alcohol? If not, why the double standard for that stupid-making gateway drug?
Studies by the RAND Corporation, and by Steven Pudney of the University of Leicester, show that such sequences can be explained by individuals' opportunities and propensities to use drugs rather than a "gateway" effect.
Excellent critique.
My idea is not totally developed.
What do you think of the basic idea of putting addicts into voluntary hospice instead of cutting off Grandma’s Medicare?
The genesis of my idea was when the subject of death panels came up a few months back. I thought, “If the government is short of funds and feels the need to let people die, why spend money to save drug overdoses? Very few addicts pay taxes or contribute to society. Are they worth more than a tax paying citizen who now is older?”
Yes, petty theft and larceny are among the ills brought about by criminalization through its artificially inflating the cash flow needed to support a habit.”
Hahahahaha. This is the lib argument of guns kill people. I hope you’re stoned and not this stupid.
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